!i$@ bee

January 1, 2012

Fun Employed

First and foremost dear readers: HAPPY 2012! We made it y'all, and the world hasn't ended yet. Woop!

Now for some explanation: quite obviously (and somewhat regretfully I might add), I've been MIA here on the interwebz. But only because a wonderful stroke of luck hit me around the time of my last post here and I've been super, super busy ever since: I GOT A JOB!!!

And a most wonderful job it is...

Almost exactly six months after I made these declarations, I got a random phone call from the Deputy Executive Director of a non-profit here in DC. The organization wanted me to come in and interview for a Web Developer position that would be responsible for maintaining the international presence of said organization on the web. I knew this was a great opportunity as soon as I got the phone call, and I prepared for my interview accordingly. Long story short, after wowing the staff with my web knowledge and prowess during three rounds of interviews--including a ~fabulous~ PowerPoint presentation--I got the position!

Last Halloween was my first day on the job; I went as a Successful Black Woman, fyi.

My job duties are quite similar to the ones I have maintaining www.lisa-bee.com--but on a much larger scale, of course. Some of my responsibilities include: managing the day-to-day operation and maintenance of all websites; designing & developing new webpages and implementing web content updates, graphic design, banner ads, social network management, and multimedia development; developing site concepts, interface design, and architecture of websites; and using strong navigation and site-design instincts, as well as researching new technologies available and recommending technical and architectural improvements.

All things I've been doing--for free--for the almost three years (wow, time flies when you're having fun!) I've had this blog. Now, I'm getting paid more than I've made in any other job I've held in my life, doing something I love and am passionate about.

MIND BLOWN.

Three months in and I'm still in awe that I took something that was basically a hobby for me and turned it into my full-fledged career.

A mentor from my days at Sports Illustrated told me that if I find a job I enjoy, I'll never work a day in my life. I've kept that adage in mind since beginning this journey, and it's still very relevant today. Every day I get up to go to work, I am so grateful--and, dare I say it, even thrilled--to be there. Not only am I and the rest of the staff working toward a mission we all believe in--that of furthering the resources and support available to black engineers worldwide--for myself, at least, I'm also literally working my dream job.

What makes this all the more sweet for me is that I worked incredibly hard to get to this point. Aside from the support and guidance of my dearest friends and family, no one else can say they put !i$@ bee in the position she's in now besides myself. And that's a great MFing feeling, lemme tell ya.

The year 2011 was a bust for many reasons, and for many folks. But I'm glad to say mine ended on a high note, and my 2012 begins on one, too

Maneki Neko, or Lucky Cat

September 21, 2011

This made me LOL: Her Mama Told Her They Were Going To The Mall To Meet Beyoncé But This Happened Instead...

Oh Kelendria. Get those dollas, girl!

From C&D:

Somebody call Child Protective Services, this sh*t ain’t right.

Life wasn’t fair for one of destiny’s children living in the Lakewood, California area on Thursday at the fragrance launch for Empress By Sean John. Additional pictures of Kizzy and Mouf Breeva attending the event after jump.

Ridiculousness. On a sidenote, maybe this girl needs a cheeseburger and not a $112 meet & greet plus perfume to motivate her to smile. Just sayin'.

September 19, 2011

Suckers, Punching: Mayweather vs. Ortiz

Those of you who caught the Mayweather vs. Ortiz fight on Saturday HAVE to be in an uproar over that mess. I'm not the biggest boxing fan in the world (personally, I find it a little barbaric), but I really expected more sportsmanliness--from both sides!--for my my friend's $60.

The post-fight commentary was entertaining though:

You tell him, Larry Merchant!

Yeah, Ortiz headbutting Mayweather was definitely NOT a good look. And while hilarious and unexpected, you gotta admit that Mayweather 1. Looking directly at the ref before swinging and 2. Actually knocking ol' boy the hell out during what appeared to be a timeout* was really... uh... not how I expected this fight to go down. Not for my friend's $60! I sincerely hope they do a rematch on this one

Read more on the controversy surrounding the fight in this LA Times article.

In other news, watching the fights leading up to the game, I found myself a new favorite boxer! His name is Canelo (aka "Cinnamon"... awww) Alvarez and he has ~red hair~ ♥ You know how much I love natural red heads. He's so much fun to watch:

Get 'em Red! Read more about his fight vs. Alfonso Gomez here.

* Yeah yeah yeah, watch your back at all times, yadda yadda yadda. Still a dirty move Floyd!

September 15, 2011

My scores from the Missoni for Target Collection :-)

Can you smell the ~couture~?

As all you fashionistas out there may have realized, the Missoni for Target collection was released this past Tuesday to much fanfare. By the time I got to my local Target around noon that day, most of the merchandise was completely gone; what was left looked like a tsunami hit it. Luckily, two of the three items I came up there looking for were still in stock and in my size, too (yay!):

Missoni for Target silk floral scarf and suede pumps

What I didn't find--at least not in my size--were these cute and comfy-looking flats:

I hit up the Target website once I got back home, only to find that Target's servers had crashed from the sheer demand. It's that serious, yo! I know Target has had other prominent names in fashion on its racks--Isaac Mizrahi, Alexander McQueen, even lesser-known but still costly and chic brand Tucker--but nothing of the magnitude that Missoni brought to the table.

For the uninformed, Missoni is an Italian knitwear label best known for its colorful zigzag patterns. They also specialize in striped, geometric, and abstract floral prints. These prints come in a variety of fabric choices, primarily wool but also cotton, linen, rayon and silk.

The Missoni for Target collection has women's clothing and accessories (of course), but also chic and unique items for kids, men, and the home. The campaign runs from September 13 to October 22, though I've heard that the collection is so popular, Targets everywhere have been wiped out of the collection and are unsure if and when they'll get more items in stock.

If you haven't already, get thee to a Tar-jhay tout suite!

September 13, 2011

Hottest Couple of All Time*: Lisa Bonet & Jason Momoa

At the Conan the Barbarian premiere last month

UNFH. So much sexiness here. I really look up to Lisa Bonet, not only as a fellow Lisa B. but THOSE LOCS. So luscious. She also has a track record of pulling only the most hottest of dudes:

What is there not to admire?

At the beach this month. Sun & fun with your bun = ♥

Lisa seems to be aging well; she's 43 and Jason is 32. Just for comparison, here's a contemporary of Lisa's, Jasmine Guy, who's 49--and looks it:

Oof

What happened Whitley Gilbert?! Yeesh. Anyways, back to positivity and sexiness:

Looking sexy at the airport

Looking sexy while walking with child (I think this is their son together, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa)

Looking sexy chilling carside with Zoe Kravitz

One big sexy family

*Besides me & my man. Duh.

September 12, 2011

My September 11th Story

At 9:43 a.m. on September 11, 2001, I was in 11th grade History class preparing to get my learn on. This really annoying and overly dramatic girl--let's call her V--runs into class saying a plane has just crashed into the Pentagon. Our initial reactions were ones of disbelief (thanks to the source) and confusion: how does such a thing even happen? The fact that the crash occurred at the Pentagon immediately raised red flags... these things just don't happen in the US. Yes, DC is a huge target for political extremists; on the other hand, our guard is ALWAYS up to prevent such nonsense from happening. Right?

Oh, but it was true.

From the panel of windows in our classroom facing the street, a large plume of smoke was visible in the very far distance. The entire class congregated at the windows, stupefied. Our teacher told us to get away from the windows, closed the blinds, and turned on the TV, which verified our worst nightmare. The Pentagon had been attacked.

I remember feeling incredibly vulnerable at the time. There were so many unknowns then: who did this? Why? Are more attacks coming? Students and faculty were in a frenzy; the faculty less so, but anyone could see the fear in their eyes.

I called my parents from the girls bathroom. With their offices right off of Pennsylvania Avenue, I was seriously worried for my parents and desperate for them to have escaped the aftermath of the attack. Thankfully, my parents were fine. We discussed transportation; to avoid the other nightmare that was going to be taking the Metro home, my mother picked up my father and me.

In what seemed like a few short minutes--or maybe it was an hour? Time seemed to stop for a while--more parents swarmed into my school's tiny parking lot and wraparound driveway to pick up their students. At that point, no one knew if a similar attack was planned for WMATA; no one wants to be trapped underground* during a terrorist attack, that's for sure. Once we arrived home, all of us watched the news--perturbed, shaken, mournful--well into the night and the entire week thereafter.

Of all those who perished in the attack on the Pentagon, one in particular was close to my family: my father's childhood friend, C.G. The destruction to the wing of the Pentagon where C.G. worked was so severe that his remains could only be identified through dental records and hair samples.

It was a closed casket funeral, of course. Immediately afterward, C.G.'s wife moved away, never to return. Too many memories, she said. Before she left though, to thank my father for what amounted to decades of friendship with C.G., she invited him to accompany her to a memorial service held for those who lost their loved ones in the attack. My dad got front row seats and even shook former President Bill Clinton's hand. That made him pretty happy.

What I learned on September 11, 2001 was that, despite our efforts, very few things are fully within our control. People can either accept and embrace that fact, or live out their lives in fear. Living in fear isn't living at all, and part of me refuses to "let the terrorists win" (omg how many times did people say that in the months following 9/11?!) by doing that. I always try to be aware of my surroundings though, and don't trust easily--never did. "Cautiously fearless" is a good motto for how I felt post-9/11. I try to keep that feeling up today.

*From Inglourious Basterds:

Lt. Aldo Raine: You didn't say the g*ddamn rendezvous was in a
f*cking basement!
Lt. Archie Hicox: I didn't know.
Lt. Aldo Raine: You said it was in a tavern!
Lt. Archie Hicox: It is a tavern.
Lt. Aldo Raine: Yeah, in a basement. You know, fightin' in a basement offers a lot of difficulties. Number one being, you're fightin' in a basement!

September 8, 2011

This made me LOL: Ali Lohan's new face

Before & After

Actually this made me o_O more than LOL... bad plastic surgery is an unfortunate thing. The work done on Ali's face has done nothing to reverse the seeming curse of the Lohan women: looking 30+ years older than you actually are (Ali Lohan is currently 17-years-old).